Traditional Fraternity and Sorority recruitment is one thing. Networking is another. Put the two together and you get some weird hybrid that could only half explain what rushing a professional business fraternity is like. So in the same spirit of combinations I took my own experience from rushing in the spring of 2015, being on the other side of the rush process in the following fall, and the wise words of Drake in order to help provide some insight on this week.

1. “Think before you come for the great one”Alright. We get it. Alpha Kappa Psi is pretty great. Just check out the rest of this blog to see why. But really evaluate why you, you specifically, are rushing this week. Rush is a big commitment. Alpha Kappa Psi is a big commitment. Why do you want to be a part of it? What do you hope to gain, to give?

2. “Know yourself know your worth”Here’s where that networking bit comes it. In a way you are selling yourself to us this week. Your accomplishments. Your passions. You. In order do that successfully you can’t be thinking about this stuff on the spot. You have to know yourself. Know what you're worth. What makes you, you? What makes you stand out? What can you bring to the table? Now, don’t go memorizing every line in your resume. I suggest writing down only a couple of things that you feel passionate about, are proud of, identify with, etc. Focus on quality over quantity. Then draw upon these things during this week.

3. “They aint make me what I am, they just found me like this”On a similar note. Don’t try and be someone you’re not. There is no ideal rushee that we are looking for. Alpha Kappa Psi values the diversity that each of its Brothers brings. So come as you are! But most importantly, don’t lie about what you have done or who you are.

4. “Fresher than a pillow with a mint on it”Fresh to death, dress to impress! You never get a second chance at first impressions. On that note, a statement necklace here, or statement socks there are great! But you don’t want to be known by what you wear over your actual name. In other words, rely more on your worth than what you wear to make you stand out. Make sure to double check the dress for each night of rush, and when in doubt, check out our How to Dress guide if you have any questions!

5. “Last name ever, first name greatest”While you may not meet a Brother who is named Greatest Ever, names are important. You’ll be meeting a lot of people this week and keeping their names sorted is definitely a huge challenge! When I was rushing I would repeat their name back to them to make sure I had it correct or say something along the lines of “nice to meet you ___”. Just to solidify their name in my memory. Then after a conversation with them I made a mental note of something we talked about. For example, “Jake, from State Farm”…or something like that. Then whenever I saw them again, beit that night or out around campus, repeating that one-liner really helped me put names to faces!

6. “Call me the referee because I be so official”In three words: keep it professional.

7. “I’m on a roll like Cotonelle”Don’t worry if your first night at rush feels like it’s your first time on a hover board. It might be a rough start, but you’ll get the hang of it! Confidence is key, but it has to be built up. Soon you’ll know your best talking points better than the alphabet, how to join a conversation and exit one gracefully, and everything in-between. But you have to walk before you run. So take everything as a learning experience to better yourself for the next night of rush.

8. “You used to call me on my cellphone”Communicate with us! If you are going to be late or can’t attend, a quick email to let us know of your situation is the professional thing to do. This especially applies if you make it to an Invite Only round.

9. “On my worst behavior, no”Just because the rush event is over, doesn’t mean rush is over. We’re not keeping you under a microscope the entire week, but you never know if a brother is in the vicinity. While our rush events are the best time to sell yourself to us, we know that there are many sides to a person and we take everything into consideration when debating on who we want to call our Brothers.

10. “If you ain't been a part of it, at least you got to witness”Lastly, rush is a great experience. I learned a lot about myself and others in that one week. I improved my networking skills, professionalism, and time management. Even if you don’t get a bid at the end of the week, rushing in itself has a lot of opportunities to learn and grow as a person. So milk it for all it’s worth and good luck.